The Witch of Woodland -- Laurel Snyder, Hardcover

A young girl preparing for her bat mitzvah discovers she has mysterious abilities in this magical contemporary coming-of-age story from the beloved author of Orphan Island.

Hi, whoever is reading this. I'm Zipporah Chava McConnell, but everyone calls me Zippy.

Things used to be simple--until a few weeks ago. Now my best friend, Bea, is acting funny; everyone at school thinks I'm weird; and my mom is making me start preparing for my bat mitzvah, even though we barely ever go to synagogue. In fact, the only thing that still seems to make sense is magic.

See, the thing is, I'm a witch. I've been casting spells since I was little. And even if no one else wants to believe in magic anymore, it's always made sense to me, always felt true. But I was still shocked the day I found a strange red book at the library and somehow...I conjured something. A girl, actually. A beautiful girl with no memory, and wings like an angel. You probably don't believe me, but I swear it's the truth.

Miriam is like no one else I've ever met. She's proof that magic is real. And, it's hard to explain this part, but I just know that we're connected. That means it's up to me to help Miriam figure out what she is and where she came from. If I can do that, maybe everything else in my life will start to make sense too.

Anyway, it's worth a try.

Author: Laurel Snyder
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Published: 05/16/2023
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.52h x 5.85w x 1.04d
ISBN: 9780062836656
Audience: Ages 9-12

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/03/2023
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2023
Booklist 04/15/2023 pg. 57
Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2023
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2023 pg. 150